Three days after a train derailment spilled coal and mangled rail cars onto Interstate 25 north of Pueblo, Gov. Jared Polis and officials celebrated reopened lanes and a step toward commuter normalcy Wednesday.

Shortly after Polis toured the site of the derailment and announced that I-25 southbound lanes would reopen to traffic Wednesday afternoon, the Colorado Department of Transportation confirmed the reopening around 2:15 p.m.

Polis said the northbound lanes should reopen to traffic by Thursday afternoon.

Numerous Colorado Department of Transportation crews and construction vehicles lined I-25 approaching the since-collapsed bridge from both sides of the roadway – a cleanup operation in motion. Smoke, dust and smells of food trucks on the scene filled the air .

Debris from the train cars and displaced coal being carried by the freight has since been cleared – a gaping hole over I-25 is what remains from the derailment and bridge collapse that sent 30 of the 124-car train spilling off the side of the bridge and over the freeway Sunday afternoon, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

A truck driver was trapped in the crash and died on the scene. The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office later identified him Lafollette Henderson, 60, of Compton, Calif.

The freeway has been closed across all lanes of traffic between mile markers 110 and 101 while clean-up crews and investigators worked on the scene. Detours around the road closure had created delays of up to two hours for some drivers.

Describing I-25 as one of the most “important arteries,” of roadways for both commuters and the general transportation of goods, Gov. Polis emphasized Wednesday morning his gratitude for both CDOT crews and NTSB investigators for working alongside each other to reopen roadways as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Polis said an additional closure is expected in roughly two weeks to finalize bridge repairs and restoration.

The NTSB said that upon initial inspection a damaged piece of rail just before the bridge led to the derailment, which in turn led to the damage to the bridge.  

Although questions circulated regarding previous inspections and the health of the bridge prior to its collapse, Polis repeatedly stressed that officials carried “no reason to believe the bridge played any role in the incident,” at hand, adding an official investigation report would be available in the upcoming weeks.

“Though the investigation is still ongoing, it remains clear that investments in rail are needed now more than ever and Colorado has been working for months to take advantage of historic safety and rail funding from the federal government,” Polis said, according to Gazette news partner KKTV.

CDOT spokesperson Matt Inzeo said the department had conducted an inspection of its own in 2022, however, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railways holds primary responsibility for the bridge and repairs.

Inzeo said BNSF will be responsible for repairing the bridge, which is anticipated to begin in two weeks. A representative from BNSF was unavailable for comment at the time of the announcement. 

It remains unclear when the bridge and train track may also be operational again.